Bajaleo - I'm glad you are able to write about this. I'm even more glad that you were not seriously hurt. I've been down 3 times, all 3 were 100% caused by ONLY my ridiculous stupidity, disguised as a momentary lapse in judgment and awareness. In each case, like you, I doubted my willingness to continue accepting the risk. And in each case, I took the wise advice of people on this forum (and others), which of course was the exact same advise that you are offered here.
But after my most recent crash, one particularly special lady on this forum, who happens to have the unfortunate knowledge of experience in this subject, along with the ability to communicate clearly, logically, and empathetically (both in print and in person), offered me what was perhaps the single best piece of advice. And with her assumed blessing, I'll gladly pass it on to you:
The decision to NOT make a decision now is a decision, and a very good one at that.
There is no cost what so ever for giving yourself much needed time to just wait. We spend our entire lives in a digital sea of electronic ********. Somehow along the way, the world decided that we always have to be doing something. We always have to try to be more efficient with our time and skills. More production. More results. More, more, MORE!!!!
Despite our efforts, that mentality finds its way into our emotions, and into all facets of our lives. We spend a lifetime training ourselves to do this. Technology and innovation doesn't help this issue at all. I had lunch with a colleague yesterday who was actually working/playing with two cell phones and a laptop, while holding a sandwich in one hand. Poor thing - we didn't get to the 3rd traffic light before she reached in her purse for the anti-acid pill.
It's utterly stupid, really.
This is a big deal and everyone here knows that. You've got to give yourself some time to mentally work through this. You're blaming yourself for what happened and you are questioning things about yourself that go well beyond the motorcycle. I (we) know - we've been there.
They say time heals all wounds, and in this case, I think it has merit. Take some time to just de-compress. When you are ready (days, weeks, or even months from now), go through what happened in your head. Think about the 1,000s of miles that lead up to that accident. Think about what you know and try to identify what you don't know. Do an impartial and personal risk assessment.
Two more tangible suggestions I can offer that REALLY helped me are:
1. Go back to the scene of the crime. I know it's an interstate and that will be hard. Maybe you can go to the shoulder during a very low traffic time. Maybe you can use a service or frontage road - whatever. But for me, physically seeing where it happened played an integral part in learning and really visualizing what I did wrong.
2. Write some thoughts down. You don't have to read them to anyone, although that may be helpful too. What's important is being able to go back to those thoughts with yourself, re-examining those multiple times down the road to see if you still feel that way. This was good or me beyond my expectations.
Work on the bike while you go through this. Shop time can be good mental health. Seeing the bike - even in wrecked form will remind you of the great times you have had on the motorcycle.
Give yourself the time, my friend. We're all in the keyboard corner rooting for you, whatever you decide.